CASE STUDY
How UGC & Positivity Strengthened Cheerios’ Legacy as a Much Welcomed Guest at the Family Breakfast Table
To help strengthen the already strong positive emotional connection between Cheerios and Millennial parents watching Connected TV (CTV), Cheerios and their media AOR Mindshare partnered with TMB on the launch of our Branded Content Breaks—a first-to-market, programmatic CTV ad product that pairs a brand’s asset with authentic and relatable UGC content from our library.
The Results
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"Our purpose is to put more joy and positive energy into the world and we are always looking for new and different ways to do that through all of our touchpoints. We know that mornings can be a busy time for families and so any time we can deliver a moment of joy via our media partners we consider that a massive win. Our partnership with TMB did just that and we were thrilled with the results."
-Kathy Dixon, Senior Brand Experience Manager, Cheerios
The Full Story
General Mills Inc. is recognized as a market-leader that doesn’t just make food people love, but also builds real emotional connections with their consumers. In both Q3 and Q4 of 2020 GMI’s Cheerios brand and their media agency-of-record Mindshare partnered with TMBto help strengthen the positive emotional connection between the brand and the increasingly large number of Millennial parents watching Connected TV (CTV).
In a brand study we commissioned with the global research firm Dynata, we found that Cheerios was already a top category performer in every positive brand attribute tested among parents A25-34, so our goal was to lift those already impressive numbers even higher. To do so, we partnered with Cheerios on the launch of our Branded Content Breaks, a first-to-market, programmatic CTV ad product that pairs a brand’s asset with authentic and relatable UGC content from our library.
Cheerios was already a top performer in every positive brand attribute
Cheerios' Goal
Connect with CTV/OTT-viewing parents by surrounding relevant, uplifting video content that fuels family conversation around kindness and positivity.
TMB's Solution
A native, TV-like ad break that paired heartwarming, real UGC family moments with Cheerios’ assets—delivering an authentic and positive morning moment for consumers.
“Morning Moments” Branded Content Breaks
Presented by
The Details
The uplifting programming behind our People Are Awesome and The Pet Collective brands has been inspiring and entertaining viewers for years on CTV/OTT platforms like Apple TV, XUMO, Samsung Plus, Peacock, The Roku Channel, and more. Full-length series like Primetime Pets and PAA Presents feature the type of positive UGC content that drives conversation and sharing among friends and family, thus creating the perfect environment for Cheerios’ branding.
In an effort to make a greater impact beyond our standard media offering, Cheerios became the premiere partner for our programmatic, native CTV solution—Branded Content Breaks—which enabled them to directly provide viewers with uplifting family moments from the TMB UGC library.
Go beyond aligning with uplifting content...
provide it
Branded Content
Break Components
Custom Creative
We developed (:30) sponsored content units that paired a heartwarming (:15) UGC family moment from TMB’s library with Cheerios’ (:15) asset
Media Placements
Similar to traditional TV sponsorship formats, the “Morning Moments” Branded Content Breaks ran as ad breaks within our long-form shows
Execution & Targeting
The campaign was executed through a turkey Programmatic Guaranteed buy that targeted parents
The Results
To measure the overall impact of the “Morning Moments” Branded Content Breaks, we commissioned a brand lift study with the global online research firm, Dynata. Across the board, Cheerios saw a positive brand impact for parents 25-34, but in looking specifically at the best indicators for emotional connection and also driving sales, the “Morning Moments” creative drove great results.
Positive content led to positive brand lift
